Question 3, What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

We are talking about different media institutions, but answering the same questions.


Sophie Bishop's Answer:



Sophie Gordon's Answer:

Question 7, Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Sophie Bishop:
Editing, Focus, Exposure, Angles and Colour Grading.


Sophie Gordon:
Soundtrack, Foley, Framing/Composition, Shot Types and Lighting.

Question 6, What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Sophie Gordon:
Camera, Youtube, phone and Garage Band.

To get the soundtrack onto our sequence I had to use Garage band. I learnt a lot about garage band, for example I learnt how to layer tracks to make sounds appear more darker, to create tension and suspense. I also learnt how to create sound effects and how to add them on garage band to create foley. I had used garage band before, but now my skills have become more developed.

We've used YouTube to upload all of our videos we have created. I've learnt about how to upload videos onto YouTube. Also how to share the videos I have created, so others can view our videos so we can get feedback.

I have developed my camera skills a lot more. Through making the thriller sequence I learnt about new camera shots (360 degrees and extreme close ups). I've also learnt about using tripods so the camera isn't shaky when filming, and also making sure not to cut off the top of heads when recording people. I've learnt the importance of the camera being focused too.

We had to use our phone a lot during the making of our sequence. When recording certain shots I learnt I would have to turn my phone so it was horizontal, so a black border wouldn't appear. I also learnt how to edit and upload from my phone, for example using apps like splice, YouTube and blogger.


Sophie Bishop:

 We used Final cut pro to create a basic edit. We have learnt how to use Final cut pro, to cut footage and place it into our sequence. I used Final cut pro to practise the pleasantville effect, but I decided against using Final cut pro for this. This taught myself that Final Cut Pro is better to use for basic edits, rather than for effects.n We also learnt how to render and export, through making videos to practise and from making our basic edit. We know how to use Final Cut Pro, which will allow us to quickly and efficiently edit videos in the future.

 I used After effects to create the pleasantville effect, and to add the titles. I learnt how to selctive one colour, and transform the rest of the picture black and white, I also learnt how to give the footage a blue tone,  motion tracking text, adding font, using masks, applying transitions and changing the contrast and brightness of footage. I have learnt these, from doing experiments, before I did the final cut, which taught me how to manage my time well. I now know how to use after effects, so I can now carry on developing my skills and editing videos.

We were using a camera, so we needed a tape to record our footage on. We learnt how to put the tape into the camera, and how to use it. I extracted the footage from the tape, which I learnt during experiments. I put the tape into the camera,connected the camera to Final cut pro, and imported it in. We now know how to use a tape, so we can continue using them to capture out footage.

We have used blogger a lot, we have learnt how to add posts and change setting. We have used blogger to present, all of our work. We will know be able to continue using blogger, to present any future work.

Question 4, Who would be the audience for your media product?

Tom, target audience:

Sophie Gordon:
Drawing of Tom:

Tom is eighteen year old male. He shops in TopMan and River Island for his clothing. He listens to music and has a keen interest in films. When buying his music and films he either downloads it on ITunes, or illegally downloads it. He likes to go to the cinema with his friends, if he really enjoys the film he'll buy it from HMV.

Sophie Bishop:

Tom listens to house music, he likes to listen to the Swedish House Mafia and David Guetta. Tom likes television dramas, his favourite television shows are Skins and Misfits. Tom enjoys playing games on the Xbox and Playstation, his favourite games are Call of Duty and FIFA. He also likes thriller films, he prefers mainstream thriller films. He likes action and mystery films, his favourite films at the moment, are Salt and The usual Suspect. 

Question 5, How did you attract/address your audience?

How we attracted the audience:



Screen shots of feed back on Youtube:

Question 2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Sophie Gordon's response:

Our product presents our main character as a powerful woman who is seen in a negative light. Nobody is aware of her powerful and dangerous traits and this is where she is similar to salt, to the general public she is seen as a normal woman who gets on with her everyday life. Salt is a Russian spy, with nobody around her knowing this till the end of the film, this is the same with our character nobody knows who she is either until the end o our sequence. Both characters create enigma codes.

Sophie Bishop's response:

Question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Frame 1 Part 1

The title of the film and Font - Sophie Gordon


Frame 1 Part 2
Style and Effects - Sophie Bishop

Frame 2

Setting/Location - Sophie Bishop

Frame 3
Costume and props - Sophie Gordon


Frame 4 
Camerawork - Sophie Bishop



Frame 5
Continuity Editing - Sophie Bishop



Frame 6
Sound and Foley - Sophie Gordon


Frame 7
Story and how the opening sets it up - Sophie Gordon


Frame 8
Genre and how the opening suggests it - Sophie Gordon


Frame 9
Image control and Lighting - Sophie Bishop

The Red Caller Final cut

Camera:

London shots - Sophie Bishop

Shots of man on the train and The London Underground shots - Sophie Gordon

Basic edit:

First half - Sophie Bishop

Second half - Sophie Gordn

Sound:

Sound track and Foley - Sophie Gordon

Effects and titles:

Sophie Bishop

The Red Caller Cut - not final

Camera:
London shots - Sophie Bishop
Shots of man on the train and The London Underground shots - Sophie Gordon

Basic edit:
First half - Sophie Bishop
Second half - Sophie Gordn

Sound:
Sound track and Foley - Sophie Gordon

Effects and titles:
Sophie Bishop

This is not the final cut, I need to remove some of the motion tracking titles, and Sophie is going to do another soundtrack.

Development of Titles and Effects

I am using an alternative way, to make the buses, telephone boxes and The Red Caller, Red. Rather than using final cut pro, I used after effects, because I have more control. I have taken screen shots, showing the process. I have duplicated the layer, making the bottom colour black and white using the Tint effect. I have them unharnessed the black and white further, by changing the contrast and brightness, and adding a solid layer, blue, and decreasing the opacity, to make it look slightly more of a cooler colour rather than warm, therefor more like a thriller.

I have then applied the leave colour effect to the top layer, selecting the red colour, most similar to the coat, using the pipette. I then increased the decolour option to 100, and the tolerance to 8. This then picks out the reds, but it does pick out any orange or other similar colour, in the shot. To exclude excess red, I made a mask around each red object. I then animated this, by moving each frame, and editing the path as accorded. I then added a vibrance effect, to make the red stand out even more. This took some time, but it has turned out really good. It makes the reds stand out, and The Red Caller is noticeably the antagonist. 

I have motion tracked the titles, and applied a mask, so the object above looks like it is obscuring the titles. This makes the title appear apart of the shot. I also want the titles to be obscured, by the bus, taxi and The Red Caller. In our research from our Target Audience, they said they do not like bold titles which stand out, so making it apart of the sequence, keeps them readable, but not as dull and noticeable than on top of the sequence. 

Update 12/02/14

Sophie is adding the Foley to our soundtrack. I have completed the pleasantville effect, change the saturation and colour graded slightly, so the black and white isn't so dull. I now need to complete the titles, motion tracking and fitting them into the sequence. 

Update

We have just finished our rough cut. Now we can move onto sound, titles and effects. 

Rough cut

This is our rough cut edit of The Red Caller, we have finished the basic edit (half each). This is without the titles, sound and effects. We decided not to have the victim woman character because it made more sense just to show one victim, so it didn't confuse the audience.

Post Production Schedule

14th of February Final Deadline

Shots are filmed.
Then we need to complete the final edit, then create soundtrack and add effects and colour grade.


Post production Schedule:

Sophie Gordon Individual Edit

Sophie Bishop Individual Edit

This is my individual edit, I have used final cut pro to do the basic edit, and After effects to colour grade and apply titles (motion tracking). I put some cross fade transitions in the edit, so the Red Caller appeared slowly. I didn't do this too much, because it is a thriller. I decided to colour grade the piece, rather than do the Pleasantville effect, so I could develop my skills further in colour grading. I will continue to do the Pleasantville effect on the group edit, as planned. 

I used the curve effect on After effects, to give my opening sequence a blue tone, like most thrillers have. I have also used the brightness and contrast effect, and decreased the brightness slightly and increased the contrast. This makes the footage look darker and more intense, like a thriller. Vibrance was also used, so I could make the red stand out more, and be vibrant. 

I have motion tracked the text, so It looks apart of the footage, as well as decreasing the opacity, so the titles didn't take focus from the footage. I have also created a mask so the text appeared behind certain places, the car, bus, hair and lamp post. There are 18-22 title slates in a thriller, with the most important first (apart from the director). I have kept the title slates all similar, apart from the title of ''The Red Caller'', this is on it's own background. I have added some smoke effects in the background, this creates a feeling of a thriller.

I created the soundtrack on garage band, I created multiple layers, so the soundtrack was intense and as it would be in a thriller film. I have made the music at the begging get louder and more intense, and then the train cuts that and the soundtrack continues at a different tone. I have also added foley, to make the sequence more realistic. I have matched the foley with the footage, and the soundtrack with the footage.

I decided to not use the, weak and innocent mother character, shots, because I thought they didn't fit in with the story. It also had a different style to both of the other characters shots, I think the sequence makes more sense without these shots.

Editing evidence

Sophie Bishop filming evidence

From the shoot on the 19th of January. 

Filming went well, the weather was dull but not too dark, so was perfect for a thriller. Now I need to upload to the computer, give the footage to Sophie as well, and continue editing for my individual edit.

Planning for the shoot, 19th of January

I will be shooting this Sunday, I am going to film some extra shoots around London, and all of the shots with the Red caller in. Because I am filming on a Sunday, it will not be as busy as it normally is.

What I need to bring:

Props:

Tape

Camera

Phone with sim x 2 (two takes to get it right)

Red Lipstick

Costume:

Coat (red)

Heels

Red Lipstick

Time schedule:

7:20 am Meet at Greenhithe train station.

8:30 am Arrive at London Bridge, Take the tube (Via Northern Line)

8:50 am Arrive at Leicester square.

9:00 am Set up camera.

9:05 am Film shots.

9:30 am Pack up camera.
9:35 am Walk to Covent garden
9:45 am Set up camera.
9:50 am Film shots.
10:20 am Pack up camera.
10:25 am Get on tube to London bridge, (at Leicester square                                       underground, Jubilee) . 
10:47 am Get on train to Greenhithe.
11:30 am Arrive.

Shot List:

Extra shots (not planned if I have time):
Establishing shots, tracking(train), pan(train), medium, long shots(train), out of focus shots, pull focus. 

Leicester square shots:
Long shot(red caller walks across shot), Long shot (red caller walks pan), Tracking shot of red caller, extreme close up red caller lipstick, medium (red caller walking to bin), close up (sim card)

Covent garden shots:
Close up(on phone, mobile), Tracking, match on action(walking around the corner), Low angles, Final shot (closeup, medium shot on phone in phone box), Match on action(phone box), Medium (laugh), any extra shots I can fit in such as canted angle shots, Pull focus...

Telephone Box locations:

Leicester square: 

Covent Garden:  

Weather Forecast:

The weather is good for what we need, It isn't going to rain so we can shoot quicker. There is not too much sun, which is good seeing it is a thriller, and we want dull weather.

Evidence of booking an actor: 

Roles

Camera Operator - Half by Sophie Bishop and half by Sophie Gordon.
Editor - Half by Sophie Bishop and half by Sophie Gordon.
Sound- Sophie Gordon
Visual Effects - Sophie Bishop

Camera Operator - 
Sophie bishop: Shots in London with the Red caller.
Sophie Gordon: Other shots (Gavin on the train, and case file shots).